Drive to collect illegal arms underway in Khost

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Security forces have launched a massive drive to collect illegal weapons in southeastern Khost province, the police chief said on Monday.

Brig. Gen. Faizullah Ghairat said this while releasing a large number of weapons police had seized during operations to Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme officials in Khost City, the provincial capital.

Ghairat said illegal arms being possessed by common people created problems in maintaining security and the only solution was to confiscate the arms.

He said the deweaponisation campaign had been launched in coordination with other security organs and search operations were underway in various parts of the province as part of the campaign.

He said the light and heavy weapons handed over to the DIAG programme had been confiscated by police over the past few days.

The police chief asked individuals possessing illegal arms to voluntarily surrender their weapons to police. However, he did not say how many illegal weapons existed in Khost.

DIAG official in Khost Col. Sherdad told Pajhwok Afghan News they received hundreds of light and heavy weapons from the provincial police headquarters on Monday.

He said the DIAG programme had so far been delivered 1500 different kinds of weapons in Khost.

A resident of Khost City, Mohammad Yusuf, told Pajhwok Afghan News illegal arms possessed by common people was a second major threat to the security situation after the Taliban.

He said such weapons were often used during clashes between rival tribes and the government should collect them.

A similar drive has been launched in central Parwan province following complaints by residents about the existence of illegal armed groups there. Parwan residents say the security situation has improved after the campaign.

Meanwhile, more than 90 policemen graduated on Monday from a three-month professional training at the Police Academy in Khost City.

Ghairat said the newly graduated policemen would be deployed in various areas of the province to assist their colleagues.